Things have been quiet over at The Mouse as far as their live-action CINDERELLA project is concerned since director Mark Romanek left them in the cold a few weeks back, departing the film after Disney wanted to lighten the tone of the movie from his darker vision. But just in the nick of time, Disney may have found the right fit for their directorial glass slipper, as Vulture reports that Kenneth Branagh is in talks with the studio to helm the film, potentially keeping it on schedule to go into production later this fall.

I'd be quite interested to see what this picture might look like now with Branagh aboard, although the prospect of a darker CINDERELLA was intriguing. He has shown the ability to handle both the light-hearted material as well as that with more Shakespearean element, which is why I love what he was able to do with THOR. I wonder if he'll be able to weave some of that family strife into what Disney has in mind for CINDERELLA, because the relationship Cinderella, her stepmother and those evil stepsisters certainly lends itself to a deeper approach examining their feelings towards her more than what we've seen on the surface over the years.

Cate Blanchett looks to be staying on as the wicked stepmother, but Disney and Branagh still have their work cut out for them in landing their Cinderella, a role that has remained open throughout the whole development process.